Monkeys at the Shedd? Do they swim?

April 04, 2012|By Hilary Shenfeld, Special to the Tribune

This is an occasional series on exhibits at Chicago-area museums that are hiding in plain sight.

Shedd Aquarium: The dolphin show. The jellies. The adorable penguins. The ginormous 90,000-gallon "Caribbean Reef" and its popular inhabitant Nickel, the green sea turtle. They're all don't-miss experiences. But if you're not careful, you might not catch a glimpse of the … monkeys. It's true, the city's paean to all things aquatic also houses two titi monkeys and two Goeldi's monkeys. The tiny 31/2-pound monkeys perch high in the treetops in the "Amazon Rising: Seasons of the River" exhibit, which displays the habitats and inhabitants of the world's largest freshwater system. The monkeys are near a faux house, which replicates the type of shelter residents used to adapt to the water's annual rise and fall, so "guests may often walk right by not noticing the animals above them, thinking it is only a display piece," says spokeswoman Andrea Smalec. The titi monkeys are also noteworthy because instead of the mothers, it's the fathers who typically act as caregivers for their offspring.